Firmware coming soonLots of questions about the firmware updates Canon announced a while back. A non official source has updated us on the progress of the software updates for the following 3 cameras.

EOS 5D Mark III
Firmware 1.2.0 (may be 1.2.1 when released) will be on our CF cards by the end of April. Canon USA also confirmed this for me.

EOS-1D X
There is no reported delay on the firmware update for the EOS-1D X. It will arrive in May as previously announced.

EOS-1D C
Another announcement may be coming at the end of April letting us know when we can expect the 25p at 4K update. One of the challenges is encrypting the firmware to combat hacking or reverse engineering of the software inside the camera.

As for the 120fps/720p mode that leaked in a photo a few weeks ago, that feature won’t appear in the final version of the firmware update due to “stability concerns”.

I don't have a 1D C and am unlikely to own one anytime soon-- but "stability issues"? Given that Canon reps were at one point saying the 5D Mark III hardware couldn't support uncompressed HDMI-out (a demonstrable falsehood at this point), I'm somewhat inclined to be skeptical. And even if the issues are legitimate, I'm sort of astonished that Canon has been so silent about the firmware updates, especially after Black Magic stole all the NAB thunder, and after Sony showed off 4K prototypes aimed squarely at the C line.

I know there's an argument that says Canon knows exactly who its customers are, particularly for a low-volume product such as the 1D C. Maybe high frame rates don't matter to the target audience. The C100 and C300 are certainly built around that philosophy-- that is, they might lose out in absolute image quality to Black Magic, and they might lose out on specs to Sony, but they compensate with ergonomic advantages, workflow simplicity and other variables that working professionals care about.

But man, if Canon's assumptions about its customers are askew, the company could find itself playing from behind in more ways then spec sheets. Canon's sales say that the company is doing fine, but it all reminds me a little bit of Microsoft. Microsoft missed the boat on mobile smart devices and consumerizaton trends, and now it faces a future in which Android will own more devices than any other OS, and in which Apple OSes will have about the same overall market share as Windows. That's the analyst expectation for 2017, anyway, and if they're right, it'll be a big adjustment for a company accustomed to de facto monopolies. Microsoft has a lot of ecosystem advantages that have been mitigated by outside forces. I have no concrete basis for suggesting Canon is similarly vulnerable, but I think there are some parallels.

Would f/8 autofocus on the 5D be a pipe-dream? otherwise, i'm excited about what it could possibly bring... video i don't care that much about, since i barely use it now... red AF points would be nice but i have gotten use to it now! f/8 autofocus would be awesome though... sigh... doubt it will happen though. Either way, bring it on!

Would f/8 autofocus on the 5D be a pipe-dream? otherwise, i'm excited about what it could possibly bring... video i don't care that much about, since i barely use it now... red AF points would be nice but i have gotten use to it now! f/8 autofocus would be awesome though... sigh... doubt it will happen though. Either way, bring it on!